Bali's luxury bamboo villas

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Photos:Bali's luxury bamboo villas

Hidden treasure – Tucked away in the depths of Bali's lush jungle lies one the of the island's most remarkable settlements -- the Green Village.

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Photos:Bali's luxury bamboo villas

Bali's luxury bamboo villas – Its 18 homes are made almost entirely out of bamboo.

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Photos:Bali's luxury bamboo villas

Sustainability in style – The Green Village community is the brainchild of Elora Hardy, daughter of John Hardy who set up Bali's Green School with the aim of educating a new generation of students in an environmentally responsible way.

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Photos:Bali's luxury bamboo villas

No ordinary hut – The village's philosophy of sustainability doesn't mean that it lacks 21st century comforts. Electricity, as well as high-end bathroom and kitchen fittings are the standard in all villas.

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Photos:Bali's luxury bamboo villas

Shrouded by shrubs – All the houses are centered around a single communal area, but discreet gardens give each one privacy.

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Photos:Bali's luxury bamboo villas

Surrounded by nature – Open walls blur the lines between outside and inside space, and let villa dwellers sample extraordinary views of the rushing Ayung river below.

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Photos:Bali's luxury bamboo villas

Sheltered from the storm – However, in case of a sudden thunderstorm, intelligent design and roll-down shutters are quick to protect villa inhabitants from getting soaked. Interior walls are lined with banana paper, and aluminum protects the roof.

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Photos:Bali's luxury bamboo villas

Clever positioning – The angle of the main structural logs is also important to minimize the impact of direct sun and rain.

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Photos:Bali's luxury bamboo villas

Redefining bamboo – The design shows another side of bamboo that the operational director Patrick How hopes will help the material become more popular.

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Photos:Bali's luxury bamboo villas

Mystical pathways – A myriad of innovative bamboo walkways and staircases weave through the village.

Sweeping space – Green Village architect Defit Wijaya plans to build a house with a 15-meter roof span, which is twice as big as the largest one so far. It will not have any central columns, with open space flowing without interruption.

Building for the future – Mokoho Sumerta, chief builder from the nearby bamboo factory which supplies material to the Green Village, says that they dramatically increased the life-span of a bamboo buildings by treating each piece with a mix of boric acid and water to stop fungus and insects: "Before doing this a bamboo structure would last only seven years, now we're not sure how long a building can last."

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Photos:Bali's luxury bamboo villas

Sourcing locally – Around 200 farmers across Bali are paid to grow bamboo on areas of their land not used for agriculture. Some of the largest logs are 25 meters long but only take 3 years to grow.

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Photos:Bali's luxury bamboo villas

Bamboo blueprints – "The first step (for us) is to create sustainable luxury living and different a mindset," says Green Village architect Defit Wijaya.